


Two Finns, at Dallas

by the_milky_way



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Bad Halloween Costumes, Fluff and Humor, Goalies, M/M, National Hockey League, Olympics, goalie weirdness, hockey players, shy!nemo, talkative!kari
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-22 14:56:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12484244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_milky_way/pseuds/the_milky_way
Summary: They have met before but never like this. Beeing roommates during the Olympics in Sochi starts out with being weird for Kari and Nemo. But something sticks and grows into more, when Nemo is traded to Dallas...... or you know, goalies being weird as well as idiots who have to deal with meddling teammates and each other.





	Two Finns, at Dallas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nadler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nadler/gifts).



> Hello there,  
> I had so much fun writing this... I tried to take some of your goalie prompts and run with them. I hope you like it and that it at least comes a little close to what you wanted. :) 
> 
> Thanks to A for all the help and cheering on over each draft.
> 
> And so many Thanks to S for the awesome beta services.  
> <3

1\. Sochi - Olympic Dream… or something like that

Kari knows who Antti Niemi is. Not just by name. They grew up not far from each other. They’ve met before, crossed paths in several leagues and have played against each other for years. But he doesn’t really _know_ Niemi. So, having each other as a roommate during the Olympics is something new for both of them.

He isn’t sure who got the idea to stick goalies together, but when he sees Tuukka’s smirk during the first official team meeting he knows who’ll find a dead fish in his closet first chance he gets. How the hell does he go about buying fish in Sochi? His Russian is abysmal at best.

Everyone is looking around trying to find friendly faces or figure out who’ll have to deal with your quirks during the next few weeks. Niemi’s face is expressionless, eyes focused solely on the coaches in front of the room, fulfilling the cliché of a typical Finn. Kari has seen him smile and loose before, so he doesn’t really know what’s up with that.

Kari also tries to say “Hi” like he usually does when they see each other. Goalies do have a special bond, after all. And, well, seeing as he’s sitting right next Nemo. But other than a stiff nod, slightly red ear tips and a low grunt, nothing more is exchanged between them. The snort from behind them can only be Tuukka. Yeah, so much dead fish in this one’s future. Kari’ll just ask Ilya for help.

***

“Who are you texting?” Kari asks when he plops down next to Jamie. He’s been hanging around team Canada during the times between games. Mostly due to the fact that he knows more of these guys than he does from his own team. 

And yes, he’s trying to spend as much time away from Niemi and his blindingly colored socks as he can. Because socks seem to be Antti’s thing. And really, they have to be as bright as they can get. Kari knows all about goalie quirks and such, has some of his own to deal with, but these monstrosities are just too much to cope with on a daily basis. 

Okay, not really, they are sort of a funny thing to look at. But Niemi has been closed off as well as sort of standoffish in a way Kari doesn’t know how to deal with, and he can’t remember Antti ever being like this before. Niemi also seems to be unable to utter more than grunts these days, so Kari has stopped waiting for answers and just talks for the both of them. He is impatient, so don’t blame him.

“Who do you think?” James replies absentmindedly and types a reply that has him giggling like a fool. Kari lets the urge to roll his eyes win and punches Jamie in the shoulder. His captain is an idiot.

“You are ridiculous,” is what he says out loud.

Jamie shrugs, grins and tells him that Tyler sends his love. Somehow his Dallas team turned out to be the one he loved the most and never thought he needed. All 34 of them. Well, almost all of them. 

“How’s your uncommunicative grump of a roommate?” Jamie asks when he’s done snorting over whatever stupid pictures Seggy sent him from Cabo. 

“Still an uncommunicative grump.” Kari shrugs. “I think all in all he’s said about five words to me this week. Two of them were ‘Hyvää syntymäpäivää’. Which, what? My birthday is in November. I get that just being a third sucks, but this is a bit over the top, even for a goalie.”

“Huh… Maybe you intimidate him? I mean, you are sort of untypical for a Finn. So loud and bubbly.” Jamie grins. “Niemi seems rather reserved. You do make him blush pretty nicely, though.”

Nope. Oh no. So not going there. Kari doesn’t even feel slightly bad about stealing Jamie’s cell and sending Tyler the most NSFW photos he can find.

***

For the rest of the Olympics, Kari concentrates on the games. He’s happy to play and only spares a second thought for his roommate, who seems to take it all in his stride but says even less as the time flies by. They get along surprisingly well considering that they don’t say more than two words to each other every day.

They live side by side without ever really connecting or being in each other’s way. They tolerate each other‘s idiosyncrasies and ignore the rest of the team when they are too noisy. They are goalies who bond because of that fact but don’t seem to have anything else in common. But it works for very weird reasons.

Kari continues to hang out more with the Canadians than anybody else. Niemi goes on grumbling the weirdest things when Kari is close by, and then stops talking altogether. Jamie still thinks it’s somehow Kari’s fault. Kari doesn’t care.

He does sort of care about walking in on Niemi half-naked almost every day. The first time, he stares at the broadest back he’s ever seen and only brings himself back to the present when one of the Ollies almost bowls him over in his haste to hide from Teemu. Kari didn’t know it then, but Niemi’s sculpture-like muscles would come back to haunt him.

As Tuukka continues to be rather annoying, Kari makes good on his silent promise. Ilya is indeed very helpful, which makes Kari wonder why they ever stopped being friends – until he remembers some of the Russian’s comments and knows again.

The shouted “KARI! Goddamnit!” that echoes through the hallways of the Finnish quarter during the last night is one of the highlights of the Olympics for him. The other, for whatever reason, is the laughter he sees Niemi suppress while Tuukka curses up a streak and threatens Kari left and right.

\----

2\. Dallas – A new beginning… well, not really, just different

After Sochi, the daily routine takes over. Kari basks in the light of the bronze medal as long as he can and then teases Jamie for taking his gold to bed with him. Seggy only smirks and for once in his life keeps his mouth shut. Kari’s very happy about that. There are things he doesn’t need to know about his captain or other teammates.

He’s pretty okay with his performance for the rest of the season. Not happy, but okay. He doesn’t think of Niemi much, only getting glimpses of him on TV when he has time to check out the other teams. Well, it’s not entirely true. He does think of him from time to time, and one day realizes with a start that Niemi is actually the only other goalie he is even remotely aware of this season.

Kari doesn’t really think about Antti when they play the Sharks. There is a goalie in the net across from him and it takes him an embarrassing amount of time to realize it’s not Niemi. He is instantly aware of pale blue eyes following him from the Sharks’ bench. 

Kari surprises himself when he smirks, then tips his head towards the other goalie in greeting and laughs a little when Niemi’s already wide eyes get even wider. Of course, it’s then that Seggy sidles up to him during warm up and just grins.

“Shut it,” Kari says preemptively. “Whatever Chubs told you, it’s not true.”

“Ah,” Tyler answers, then goes back to juggling the puck around Kari’s feet. It’s annoying as fuck, which Tyler knows. Daddy joins him, which means soon enough Kari is in the middle of a pre-school-like tug-of-war he has to break up before those two idiots hurt each other.

When he steals a glimpse towards the Sharks’ bench some time later, there’s a little smile on those lips he has no right to think about but suddenly can’t look away from.

“No truth in Jamie’s words then, huh?” Seggy asks, so low that only Kari can hear it. 

“Fuck off, Seguin.”

And Tyler does, but not before winking at Kari.

Right. Where can he get dead fish around Dallas? After four years he should know this. Why doesn’t he know this?

Kari ignores the Sharks’ bench during the game. He doesn’t even remember how it ends; he just knows that Jamie is right by his side when they enter the locker room. Chubs doesn’t say a word though, only looks at him. Kari decides to ignore it. The Dynamic Duo lets him be for now, which he appreciates.

Only, the entire thing catches up with him a couple of days later. And it couldn’t have chosen a better moment to knock it into Kari’s head that there is something he needs to face. 

***

It’s a rare few days off and Kari has been lazy as hell. He’s in the middle of one of his favorite fantasies, eyes closed, back pressed into the couch and fingers teasing, when brightly colored socks step into the scenario.

Then a well-muscled back joins in as well, and Kari is done for it. He’s not sure he sees stars but he’s pretty damn close to braining himself on the armrest. There sure as hell is nothing sexy or relaxing about the way he freaks out after the fact. 

And it’s not the man thing. He’s down with that. No, it’s more about the fact that a guy he barely knows but somehow has developed an obsession with is not only taking over his daydreams now, but his most sacred personal time as well.

If Kari doesn’t even think about touching himself for a few weeks afterwards and acts slightly more insane than usual, it’s nobody’s business but his own. And well, maybe his Captain’s, as the guy seems to think that Kari is nearing a major breakdown or something and has taken it upon himself to look after the goalie. Much to Seggy’s annoyance. And Kari’s, of course. He doesn’t need a babysitter, thank you very much. He can deal with his breakdowns on his own. Not that he is having one.

***

The day they announce the trading news, Kari has been roped into a training session with Darth and Daddy. He’s only half awake as they sit at Demer’s kitchen bar afterwards, and at first doesn’t even register what Jordie is reading out loud from some of the news websites. Until the words reach his brain, and something clicks.

“Hold on a sec. What? ”

Daddy laughs out loud, and Kari just knows he’ll have to kill Jamie later. Or Klinger. One of them is always the blabbermouth. This team solely consists of guys who love to gossip, or so he thinks most of the time.

“Niemi will be joining us. As of today... ” Jordie repeats, sounding as bored as ever, but even he is smirking at Kari now. God, he hates this team sometimes. Not really, but they can be annoying as hell and so very meddlesome. 

“Right.” Seriously, there is nothing else he can think of to say right now. Because really… what?

Kari escapes them with only some minor ribbing and a hug from Jason. At times like these he realizes how much he misses being hugged. It doesn’t happen often enough, with only Dales actively going for them off the ice. 

It’s been better since Seggy and Demers joined the team, but before… Well, let’s say since Dany left Atlanta, Kari has been on the short side of good hugs. It’s just one of his quirks. Not necessarily one of the goalie ones, but probably more of the Kari ones.

Once home he reads through all the news he can find about the trade, soaks it all in and already hears his teammates making fun of them. But never once does he wonder how they’ll work together on the same team in the league. Never once does he think about the weirdness that was between them in Sochi.

Never once does he think about the images that linger in the back of his mind. Images of strong muscles, bright socks, and a smile he never thought he’d actually miss. He doesn’t think about it at all.  
Kari only dreams those things.

***

Kari doesn’t see Niemi much during the summer. Not even when the man himself has already arrived in Dallas and the remaining team’s trying to get him to join them at every possible opportunity. Kari sometimes suspects they are doing it only to see them together for the first time.

He really hates Jamie Benn for his big damn mouth and all the stories he has been spreading about the Olympics. Half of them are extremely exaggerated. Kari did not overwhelm Niemi with words just for the sake of it. He always had a reason to talk, and Jamie damn well knows it.

Only a couple of times before training camp does Kari meet Niemi, or you know, Nemo, as he wants them to call him. Teammates now, and all that. That Kari sort of really likes the nickname and finds it fitting will forever be his secret to keep. Judging from Daddy’s small smile, it’s not really a secret anyway.

When Jamie is doing his captainly duty showing the newbies around, Nemo joins them. For the rest of the summer, Kari goes home to spend some time with his family as well as childhood friends, and tries to ignore the rather telling dreams he keeps having more frequently now.

When camp starts and training goes into full swing, Kari can’t avoid Antti any longer. He’s not even sure when he started using Antti instead of Niemi in his head. It was long before Nemo was even an option.

The weird thing is, once Nemo has fully joined the team, they fall into the same routine they had during Sochi. Nemo grunts and Kari talks. Nemo says weird things when Kari is around, and Kari talks some more. It’s nothing unusual for them, so Kari doesn’t really take notice of how the rest of the guys keep watching them.

It’s only when Kari subconsciously grabs the wrongly-colored water bottle out of Eak’s hands on his way to the goalie’s corner and gives Nemo the neon green one that he’d grabbed on his way in, that things sort of take another step. He does all that while being in the middle of a rant about haunted cars in Finland and doesn’t notice that something is off.

The silence in the locker room takes minute to register, but when it does, Kari looks up and around.

“What?”

“Is this a goalie thing?” Rous finally asks, and points at the bright green bottle Nemo is now holding like he’ll protect it with his life if necessary. 

“Uh. No? Maybe? He just likes bright things,” Kari stupidly answers, and then wants to hide in a hole when half the guys crack up. Even Nemo is laughing, which is a rare sight. 

Antti hides the green bottle in his locker, grabs one of the empty ones with the comics characters on, and presents it to Kari. Which is sort of nice, since Kari is kind of a hoarder when it comes to special edition bottles. There always has to be one close by, empty or filled with water, doesn’t really matter. It just has to be there in his locker.

When Nemo hands it to him, it’s followed by a grunted “Kiitos” and a pat on the back. For them this is practically intimate. Seggy is still laughing his ass off, mumbling “bright things” under his breath repeatedly, so Kari doesn’t feel sorry at all when he trips the ice bucket right into Tyler’s groin.

When Jamie tries to corner him later, he just tells him to fuck off. So, Nemo and he get along surprisingly well considering that Kari views Sochi as kind of catastrophic when it comes to their interpersonal relationship. But maybe they got along back then as well, and he just didn’t realize it.

\---

3\. Dallas – Life on a team… or idiots all around

Them being teammates for more than three weeks has some very confusing effects. For one, Kari speaks more Finnish than he has in years and he loves it. He loves to confuse the hell out of the other guys and somehow loves it even more when he can rope Nemo into joining him in making fun of them.

Lindy isn’t all that amused when they talk Finnish during training, mostly because Kari shouts obscenities across the ice and Nemo answers with words that make no sense and a blush that has Kari smiling like an idiot.

Once the season starts, the team gets used to their goalies being weird beyond usual goalie behavior. They alternate games, play a mixed season, but not a bad one. Kari’s not up to his usual save percentage, but neither is Nemo. They make it work, though.

For some reason they end up hanging out during off days, and soon they are dubbed the new Dynamic Duo, which makes Chubs a little jealous and Seggy competitive. Nemo has even stopped saying the inanest things to Kari, which is helpful when they have a conversation. Kari starts buying every neon or brightly colored pair of socks he comes across and manages to stuff Nemo’s locker so full that the other goalie is buried under a rainbow avalanche one day.

Antti retaliates with decorating Kari’s locker in the raunchiest comics any of them has ever seen. Kari isn’t one to blush easily, but upon seeing some of the scenes he can’t help it. He takes the ribbing he receives from the guys with a smile and a nod to Nemo for his ingenuity. 

Kari doesn’t think about the dreams, ignores the teasing some of the guys have taken up around him, and focuses on playing hockey. Or he tries to. It’s sort of telling that it all comes to pass at Daddy’s infamous Halloween party. The most ridiculous holiday, if you ask Kari. And he’s a Finn, he knows about ridiculous festivities.

Costumes are obligatory, so Kari searches his closet for the most atrocious things he can find. He’s never had any good ideas about real costumes, so in the end he goes as some kind of fashion victim/hipster hybrid. If the colors he is wearing are the brightest he owns, well, who cares.

When he arrives at Demer’s domicile, the party is already in full swing even though Kari’s only late by 15 minutes tops. He watches Hems as the Hulk taking Rous the duck into a headlock while fighting over what looks like some fancy draft beer.  
Darth is Darth, which yeah, very imaginative, while Daddy’s dressed as a very well-off zombie. How that man even gets his hands on these kinds of suits is beyond Kari. Strong arms wrap around him from behind and he’s lifted off his feet.

“Kariiiiii,” Dales giggles, which indicates that he’s had maybe one to two bottles of Daddy’s fancy beer too many. He’s all decked out and proudly announces that he’s a vampire and that he’s on a mission to give out hugs because that’s better than taking blood. Okay, Kari thinks, and winds himself carefully out of the hug. Trevor doesn’t seem to mind or notice as he’s already latching onto his next victim.

“Look for the cookie monster,” Seggy suddenly says right into his ear. Kari doesn’t jump but punches the forward hard in the arm. Of course, with biceps like the one Tyler Seguin possesses, this mostly goes unnoticed.

“Cookie monster, Kari. Mark my words.” Then Tyler is gone as fast as he appeared, trailing what looks like a fluffy tail behind him. Yeah, Kari doesn’t want to know. 

It’s Spezz who sort of shoves him in the right direction, always the helpful father figure even though they are the same age. But Spezza pushes him through the crowed towards the bar in the backyard. Kari turns slightly, confused as to why he should go there, when he catches a glimpse of bright blue fur.

Cookie Monster. Of course.

He catches up to Nemo after finding his way through the party crowd. His fellow goalie is sort of nibbling on a cracker and seems to be on his first beer still. Nemo isn’t much of a drinker, so Kari knows it can’t be more than two.

“Enjoying yourself?” Kari asks once he is close enough. The blue fur of the costume shimmers in the low light of the hanging lanterns, and Kari thinks Nemo actually likes it here. He seems relaxed in a way Kari has never seen before.

“Yes.”

“Because of the party, or because you can wear shiny, brightly colored things without anyone making fun of you?”

“Guess,” Nemo answers with a small smirk. Bright, shiny things it is, then. “Nice… suit?”

Kari laughs out loud, looks down at his mismatched outfit and shrugs. “Thanks.”

“Nice colors.”

“Oh, I know,” Kari retorts, and knows Nemo gets it.

They talk low and private about random things while watching their teammates let loose. It’s a rare occasion that all of them are savoring, a night just to let go and not think of hockey for once. Some of them manage that better than others, but they all at least try.

They are in the middle of making fun of Seggy who’s trying to sell Spezz an outrageous story about his time in Boston and hijacked cars (seeing as it is about Tuukka, Kari doesn’t have that many problems imagining it as real), when Nemo turns to him.

“What is it?” Kari asks, after a while of just being looked at.

“I used to be so nervous around you. So much so that I couldn’t find the right words,” Nemo says as if it’s the easiest thing in the world. He doesn’t even blush, at least not as far as Kari can tell in the low light and with the blue fur obscuring part of Nemo’s skin.

“I was wondering about the birthday stuff or why I should bath rain-boots. I did get that I should put the bear to sleep even though the one at home is sort of hard to convince that sleep is a nice thing.”

“You are an ass, you know?”

“I do,” Kari answers with a smile, which he feels widen when Nemo just laughs and shakes his head. “Why though? I mean, I’m not all that intimidating.”

“Uh…”and then Nemo mumbles something into that ridiculous fur of his.

“Come again?” Because yes, Kari is an ass sometimes but right now he really wants to know what it was about him that made Nemo so tongue-tied or stupid that he couldn’t form proper sentences.

“I said, I always had that problem with people I like,” Nemo forces out, probably louder than he intended to, judging from the cringe and the shifty eyes checking if anybody heard.

“You didn’t even really know me and you liked me?”

“We’ve crossed paths enough. I don’t know, okay. It just… happened.” Antti sounds and sort of looks like a petulant child not wanting to talk about stuff anymore. It’s kinda cute. And then it clicks.

“Tuukka… He knew. That’s why he stuck us together.” And now it all makes some weird kind of sense.

Nemo just shrugs, smiles this shy smile Kari can’t seem to forget and ducks his head a little.

Before he knows it, Kari’s hands are buried in fake blue fur and short real hair. And then surprisingly soft lips meet his. They probably shouldn’t be doing this here, where people outside the team can see. But Kari doesn’t care. He deepens the kiss, lays all the frustration and desire of recent months into it. Nemo gives back just as much.

Kari isn’t sure he has ever been this lost in a kiss as he is now. His world consists of Antti and only Antti. Nothing else matters, no one else does. This has been brewing for so long that Karis justgoes with it until — 

“Boys,” Seggy whispers from behind them, making them spring apart more forcefully than they intended. Only then does Kari become aware of the ring of teammates around them, all casually talking with each other, shielding them from view and thus from the rest of the partygoers.

Kari loves his team. And apparently, he is well on his way to loving Nemo in a whole different way.

\---

4\. Dallas and Pittsburgh – The future is what it will be…

When summer is over and Kari enters the locker room for the first time, it’s weird to see someone else at the locker that used to be Antti’s. It’s also weird to know that this season he’ll have to take a backseat and take on the role of observer for most of the games. A lot has changed on the team.

Kari knows Ben, likes him reasonably well, but he’s not Nemo, and Kari isn’t the starting goalie anymore. This will take some time to get used to, and Kari thinks it might be harder than he thought.

Bishop is cleaning out the back of the locker when he grunts in disgust and recoils. Kari doesn’t even have to look to know what he’s holding. Seggy’s laughter is enough to clue him in.

“Who the hell would wear these ugly things?” Ben asks, turning around. Kari sees the socks for the first time and starts to laugh as well. Soon enough all the guys who are in the know are out of breath, giggling like crazy and leaving Ben slightly confused.

When things have calmed down, Ben’s been placated with two boxes of Reese’s courtesy of Klinger, and Seggy has handed Kari the Cookie Monster socks, Kari fishes out his cell.

 _Thanks for the gift,_ he types, and attaches a picture of the socks next to the latest special edition bottle.  
You’re welcome. Penguins are strange. I miss you. I miss the guys, Nemo answers, and sends a photo of Crosby hiding in a closet. Kari refuses to interpret it.

 _Minulla on sinua ikävä,_ Kari writes, mostly to piss Seggy off, since he’s been shamelessly trying to read over his shoulder. But he means it, too. He misses Nemo and it will be hard. Long distance relationships always are. Hockey players might know that more than others. Adding in their back-up situation on the respective teams, Kari’s trying to be optimistic but it’s not as easy as he’d hoped.

But Nemo tells him every time they talk, that they’ll make it work. And then adds a random word that makes no sense, but Kari laughs.

Tyler suddenly hugs him. Hugs him hard, pats him on the shoulder, smiles and joins Jamie in fulfilling his duty as newly appointed alternate captain. This has been long overdue, seeing as Tyler has grown up so much, has grown into his role as a leader on the team.

Kari looks back down at his cell and types the words he knows Nemo will hate him for. Not because he says them, but because of sending them via WhatsApp. He sometimes really is an ass, but he really, really wants Nemo to know.

_Mä rakastan sua. I love you._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks everyone for enduring my weird love for Finnish goalies. 
> 
> Thanks to my friends for encouraging me to sign up and helped along the way. I appreciate it a lot.


End file.
